


Pictures of Friends on the Wall

by robotfrom1984



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Alex is stupid and in love, Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pining, TBHC era, headcanon about the meaning of the ultracheese
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23514391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robotfrom1984/pseuds/robotfrom1984
Summary: "I- I'm sorry that I'm callin' you like tha'. I just... I fucked up, Thal. Pretty badly." Alex wasn't crying but the tremor in his voice was a tell-tale sign that he was very close to doing so."What do you mean?""I told Miles I love 'im."
Relationships: Alex Turner (Musician) & Original Female Character(s), Miles Kane/Alex Turner, Taylor Bagley/Alex Turner
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Pictures of Friends on the Wall

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, please sit back and enjoy. This is me popping my fanfiction cherry (this sounded slightly less gross in my head) so feedback is very much appreciated. Also, italics indicate Thalia's thoughts. Cheers.

By the time the last song of the album came on, Thalia was impressed just as much as she was surprised. So surprised, in fact, that she had to pause the music for a moment and process everything she had just listened to. When Alex had called her last year to proudly announce that he was writing a concept album, she definitely hadn't expected songs about a taqueria on the moon or Donald Trump but here she was, painting her nails and bopping he head to the rhythm, loving every bit of it.

_She ought to call Al as soon as the last song was over and tell him just how much she loved the new tunes (and ask him who inspired that line about fantasising, though she already had a feeling it wasn't Taylor)._

Thalia pressed play again, chuckling lightly at the title. Only Alex would unironically name a song "The Ultracheese". However, as soon as she heard the first few lines, he smile faded and she found herself almost tearing up. She dipped the little brush back into the black nail polish and lifted her eyes to look across her desk, where she was sitting. Right there, facing her proudly, was the Wall Of Friends, covered in picture frames that held some of her fondest memories and favourite people. She recalled telling Al about it that fateful morning of June 2016, when they got to know each other all over again over a cup of tea. What she didn't expect was for that soppy bastard to write a song about it. _Now she definitely had to call him and-_

Her thoughts, as well as the song were interrupted by the familiar Facetime ringtone with Alex's name popping up on the screen. _Speak of the devil._ Thalia accepted the call with a "Hey! You finally learned to Facetime. Only took you five yea- Al, are you crying?" Any other teasing remark died in her throat the moment she took in her friend's distressed face and red eyes.

"I- I'm sorry that I'm callin' you like tha'. I just... I fucked up, Thal. Pretty badly." He wasn't crying but the tremor in his voice was a tell-tale sign that he was very close to doing so. 

"What do you mean?"

"I told Miles I love 'im."

 _Oh._ Thalia was instantly relieved that Alex's distress wasn't a result of a fight among her beloved Monkeys but was immediately alarmed when the words sank in. Miles was a minefield of a topic and the girl had to tread carefully if she didn't want Alex to explode.

"That's really brave, Al. I'm proud of you.", she said with what hoped was her most reassuring smile.

Alex rubbed his eyes, muttering something unintelligible before continuing, "He asked me if I 'ad broken up wif Taylor. You should've seen 'is face when I answered. He looked at me like he was disgusted and-" Whatever he was trying to say was muffled by a sob and Thalia felt so powerless in that moment, having to watch her friend break down on the other side of the screen, not being able to do as little as give him a hug.

"He said tha' he refused to be me booty call again and that I always treated our relationship like I was ashamed of it, and you know what? He's right, Thal. I never realised- I never meant to. God knows how proud I am of me Miles. But tha' doesn't mean shite because I've given 'im every reason to fink the opposite and now he 'ates me... I guess that's what I deserve." He almost whispered the last sentence, as if he had just reached a conclusion and was repeating it out loud to understand it completely.

"Al, look at me. You made a mistake and I understand that you are angry at yourself but I will not let you talk about my best friend like that. You don't get to decide what he deserves."

Alex snorted, frustrated tears running down his cheek. "He's a selfish bastard."

"Then we're not talking about the same person..."

They used to do this a lot when they were young. Alex would let his self-deprecating thoughts swallow him and so they would play this game once Thalia got fed up with seeing her friend mope around.  
 _"Hey, what's bothering you?"_  
 _"Nowt. I don't want to talk about it."_  
 _"Right then. Do you know what's bothering Alex, though? He's been mardy all day and I'm worried about him."_  
 _"I said I don't want to talk about it."_  
 _"I'm not asking about_ ** _you._** _I'm asking about my best friend. Has_ ** _he_** _told you anything?"_  
 _Silence._  
 _More silence._  
 _"I- You're impossible. Sit wif me."_

"...We can't be talking about the same person...", Thalia continued, "...because the Alex I know is an incredible lad who loves with all his heart and mind and deserves people who are willing to love him back just as fiercely. Miles is one of these people. Hell, the only reason he was hurt by what happened is because he loves you. Otherwise, he would've told you to piss off a long time ago."

Alex's expression could only be described as baffled. Several moments passed before he spoke.

"Do you fink so? Because I'll never forgive myself if I have jus' wasted my last chance wif 'im... It's funny 'ow I used to shut 'im down whenever he so much as mentioned the idea of us datin' and now I'm ready to beg 'im to give us a chance.". Alex clearly didn't find this funny in the slightest but still let a breathless laugh out, shaking his head.

"I know, love. You need to show him that it's different this time. That **you're different** this time.You can't ask Miles to commit to you when you're with someone else..."

"But I was-", Alex's protest was cut short.

"I know you were gonna break up with her but he didn't. You need to consider how this looked to him, given your past and all."

"You're reyt. You're always reyt, you know. Fank you."

"I just want you to be happy. Oh, and thank you for talking to me instead of wallowing in your misery all day." Thalia smiled, this time a genuinely happy smile and Alex chuckled as a stray tear ran down his face.

"God, I jus' ruined me mascara wif all this cryin'", he said, making a show out of wiping his invisible makeup from his cheeks.

Thalia understood what her friend was trying to do and she played along.

"Should've gotten a waterproof one."

"Is that a real fing?" He earned an eye-roll at that.

"Yes Al. Ask for help next time you go to Sephora. Look, I have to get ready for work so I'll have to let you go. Will you be okay?"

Alex gave her a lopsided smile that made him look eighteen all over again and declared that yes, he would be okay, with enough conviction that Thalia knew he meant it. She blew a kiss at him and he mirrored her action as she ended the call.

Before she had any time to process their conversation, though, the beautiful melody of the Ultracheese echoed through the room again, picking up where it had left off before it was interrupted. Thalia couldn't help but smile wistfully as she heard the final lines of the song because _this couldn't be a coincidence, could it?_

She had watched her friend grow a lot in the past two years and Thalia had no doubt that him and Miles would find their way back to each other no matter what. And so past Alex crooned almost apologetically about what present Alex had come to fully understand and accept.

 _«..._ _I've done some things_  
 _that I shouldn't have done_  
 _**but I haven't stopped** _  
_**loving you once.** _ _»_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. You can find me on tumblr @robotfrom-1984 :)


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